Goodbye Manchester

To call this post “Goodbye Manchester via Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire” would have made it excessively long but nevertheless more accurate.

Since I lacked boobies (I’ve recently been cajoled into using them again, but only on the grounds that they improve the line of the dress) I needed to go via Jacqui’s to pick up a pair on the way to Vanessa’s where I stayed Friday night. As usual, the Alex Express wasn’t running to the scheduled time-table, but I did manage to fit in an eyebrow wax – thanks Jacqui. Further delays occurred while I changed and did my make-up. All worthwhile for being able to arrive at Vanessa’s without having to change afterwards – just throw the car keys in the corner and flop – yes, it was a scorcher.

Vanessa gallantly waited ’til I’d arrived before eating and gave me the choice of an italian or indian. While I love both, a curry wins the day every time for me. So off we trolled off to pick up ourselves a very tasty Chicken Tika Masala [I'm starting to salivate just thinking about it].

No night out – just the opportunity to catch-up on gossip. And thankfully an early night.

Up at a reasonable time on Saturday and took my time getting ready to head off to Manchester, the idea being I’d go shopping in Manchester’s Trafford Centre before heading over to Trevor and Helena’s place.

I decided that since it was going to be another hot day I’d wear a recently purchased floral summer dress instead of my tan leather trousers. I’d found a low-heeled pair of cream shoes sat at the back of the wardrobe so added them to the tally I was taking. It turned out the pink high-heeled sandals I’d also brought would turn out to be more comfortable for walking in.

As usual, my preparations took much longer than anticipated and I didn’t leave Kettering ’til shortly before 3pm. Mind you, The Trafford Centre is open ’til 8pm on a Saturday so no issues there. Even with the air con on in the car it was still too hot. Arrived at The Trafford Centre shortly after 5pm, grabbed my shopping list and walked through Debenham’s into the mall – it’s big isn’t it.

I decided to head for Boots where most of the items on my list would be found, but Superdrug appeared on the horizon first and I manged to get most of my shopping done there.

I found the Rimmel liquid eye-liner as I  walked through the door. I know liquid eye-liner has a certain ‘difficult’ reputation but I’ve finally succumbed to giving it a go after seeing the results on me that Jacqui had achieved a few weeks back – no doubt I’ll make a hash of it to start with but nothing ventured, nothing gained. I was also after a Rimmel lipstick, Suger Plum, and they had that too.

But could I find bronze-pearl blusher? All I could remember was that it had an orange lid. If all else fails, ask an assistant and I did. Very pleasantly surprised, although the pretty, dark-haired, assistant couldn’t find what I was looking for she made it her mission to find everything else on my list. And by the time she’d finished I had almost everything I needed. She was a real star.

Pushing on to Boots I eventually discovered the blusher had been re-branded and was called “Medium 17 Instant Glow bronzing pearls”. Anyway, the product was identical to what I’d had previously. What I like about it is the different shades of brown ranging from almost charcoal to gold and there is a slight shimmer to them. After that I tracked down the Nair hair removal cream and that ticked off everything on my list, one happy bunny.

Time was marching on and I needed to be heading over to Helena and Trevor’s as the whole point of the weekend was to take Martina to the gay village before she returned home to Prague. Martina’s been on an english course, staying with Helena and Trevor. They’d met in Prague a while back on one of many drinking, sorry I mean cultural, visits to Prague that Helena and Trevor are in the habit of making.

What I hadn’t realised was it was Martina’s very last night and she was flying back the next day. Turns out she’d been wanting to go the the gay village for some time, but the friends on her course had promised they would go with her, but it never happened.

Anyway, we’d arranged to go with her and she was really excited about it. I made it over to H & T’s for 7pm to find Trevor had made a goat’s cheese salad which we all sat down to, with a chilled bottle of white. Helena doesn’t drink so she was driving :)

To save time, I decided to keep on my floral dress and just change into the pink high-heeled sandals. Helena re-touched my make-up and applied the eye-liner I’d just bought – cheating, I know. Oh, and I used the new lipstick as well. That was me ready and the other two didn’t take long. We took a few pictures, then headed off to the village.

Although it was about 9.30pm before we left, Helena took us straight to a car park just at the top of Canal Street which still had a few places left. I wish I could remember how she got there, but it was a real maze to get into.

We hit Taurus first but didn’t stay long, not at their prices which I was surprised at. £6.00 for a double Bacardi & Coke (only it wasn’t Bacardi). Martina bought the next round and forgot what we’d been drinking and ordered double vodka and Cokes. As we’d had wine with the meal I left most of my vodka to Martina – I’ve been caught out mixing drinks before and I don’t like the after effects.

Moving onto Churchills Martina was straight onto their tiny dance floor to dance with the girls and boys, she doesn’t mind. I’m not sure what the natives made of her – best description may be would be bemused. She would simply go up to anyone and dance with them in a most suggestive manner. She was an entertainment phenomenon in her own right.

As the night wore on and the glasses emptied on a regular basis, so Martina became more outrageous. To be honest it’s the best night out I’ve had in a very long time. :))

We managed to contain her on the way back to the car, but not without her getting a warning from a police officer trying to talk sense into a young lad. I don’t think it helped that she interrupted the him to tell the lad he was, “So sexy.”, but we dragged her off before the officer became any more grumpy.

Next morning, poor Martina was feeling very delicate and perhaps the full english breakfast didn’t help her condition, although it was very tasty, particularly those moroccan spicy sausages, not to mention the black pudding…

I’m saving up for the flight to Prague as I now have an invite to go on a tour of the gay and t-girl bars in Prague, YAY!